SOUTHAMPTON Football Club says it is in negotiations to back ambitious plans to redevelop a popular sports centre.

The club says it is "very supportive" of the proposed overhaul of Southampton Sports Centre, which the group set up to protect the facility says is "desperately needed".

As revealed by the Daily Echo yesterday, the plans revealed by city council chiefs could see a fitness gym, artificial pitches, changing rooms, cafe/restaurant and closed road cycling circuit built at the site.

Facilities at the site, where sporting greats such as Roger Black, Donna Hartley-Wass, Iwan Thomas and Kriss Akabusi have trained, have been labelled "the worst in the UK" by coach Richie Pearson.

There have been calls for major improvements at the site for several years, with Olympian Darren Campbell visiting the site and describing the facilities as "really poor".

City council leader Simon Letts said the council would "look to Southampton Football Club to use some of their resources" to help fund the project.

Now the club, which funds improvements in grassroots football through the Saints Foundation, has said it is looking to back the plans.

A spokesman said: "We are very supportive of plans to improve football facilities in Southampton and our surrounding communities, and are involved in early discussions with Southampton City Council and other partners regarding potential support for the project.”

More than 1,200 people responded to consultation on the future of the centre, with 93 per cent saying the facilities would would benefit from improvements.

Cllr Letts said the council wanted to work with clubs and governing bodies such as Saints and the Lawn Tennis Association and bodies such as Sport England to fund the works.

The project would include the creation of a fitness gym, a 3G artificial pitch for football, the resurfacing of existing tennis and netball courts and a brand new one kilometre-long closed road cycling circuit.

Some local councillors voiced fears that some land could be sold off for housing to fund the project, with Cllr Letts saying that he could not give a 100 per cent guarantee that would not happen.

However, he added: “There are no plans to sell off sport centre land to pay for this at the moment and we hope to raise the money through different ways.”

The Sports Centre was opened in 1938 after the project was championed by city politician Sir Sidney Kimber, and has been run by Active Nation since 2010.

The plans have been welcomed by the Friends of Southampton Sports Centre, with chairman Lyn Hands saying more facilities could be added "once the footprint of the major proposed projects is finalised".

She added: "Improvements are desperately needed and those proposed will benefit all users of the Outdoor Sports Centre.

"FoSSC sincerely hopes that city councillors of all parties will endorse the report as the way forward; preserving and updating Sidney Kimber's vision for the site to provide sporting and recreational facilities for future generations of city residents."